How to Join a Workgroup in Windows® 7

Get to know more about creating and joining a workgroup in Windows 7.

Workgroups are used for small networks and each computer has its own set of rules and settings and they work very well for home or small-business networks. In order to access a computer from the workgroup, you need to have a user account defined on that particular computer. There is no domain user account you could use on all computers, hence you could work only on the computers on which you have a user account defined. Workgroups are designed for small LANs in schools, homes and small businesses. A Windows Workgroup, for example, functions best with 15 or fewer computers latched together. As the number of computers in a workgroup grows, workgroup LANs eventually become too difficult to administer and therefore should be replaced with alternative solutions like domains or other client/server approaches.

Given below are tips to help you join and participate in a Windows 7 Workgroup:

Joining a Workgroup

Change Workgroup

Tips to remember

Joining a Workgroup

You need to go to the Control Panel and click System under System and Maintenance. You must Click Change Settings under Computer Name, Domain, and Workgroup Settings where you would be prompted for a password and confirmation. Click the Computer Name tab on the top and then click Change and Under the Member of icon, click Workgroup. To join an existing workgroup, type the name of the workgroup that you want to join, and then click ok or if you want to create a new workgroup, type the name of the workgroup that you want to create, and then click ok.

Change Workgroup

Go to Control Panel and click System and Security inside which you would find a tab called System. There is a section called Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings where you would see the current workgroup. Click on Change settings to change it. The System Properties menu would now appear. In the Computer Name tab, click on the Change button after which a new window called Computer Name/Domain Changes would open. In the Workgroup field, type the name of the workgroup and click on OK. When done, you would receive a welcome note and once you close the welcome note, you would be notified that you must restart your computer in order for the changes to be applied.

Tips to remember

You must always install antivirus software so that it could prevent virus or threats entering to your computer through the network from other computers. Turn on the Windows Automatic Update as it keeps your operating system updated all the time so that if there is any upgrade in network drivers, your computer could always receive it. Change the name of your Workgroup from time to time for security.

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